Meter Point not on National Energy Database

jonmitch

Hi,

I've seen a few older threads similar to this, but without a resolution, so thought I'd try again.

I moved into a new house in October last year where the gas and electric was supplied by nPower. I had previously been with Bulb and wanted to switch to Bulb again, but when I entered my postcode my address didn't show up when registering. I contacted Bulb about this and after sending pictures of both of my meters got this response:

I've had a look and the elec supply point for this address is disconnected. Either it needs to be updated or it's under a different supply number.

Can you ask your current supplier what your MPAN is, and ask them to update the national database if it has not been?

I contacted nPower about this and was told it could take up to 90 days to correct, after the 90 days had passed and I had heard nothing I contacted nPower again and eventually have had the following response:

Thank you for sending in the photos of your meters. I had been checking this against the national database and your meters do not exist. The meter Point Numbers we have your contracts set up on are for [Address Removed (an address around the corner from my house)]

This is an address that exists therefore can not be your home. Your address does exist on the national database however is showing that the property was de-energised.

What this means to you.
As your address is showing de-energised you will be required to request a new connection from a supplier that offers this (npower does not). Once this has been done they will be your supplier and register your meters on the national database and this will then allow you to change supplier whenever you wish.

Due to this issue, I have ended your contracts with nPower creating a 1 day bill with nil usage and credited the account with the 1 days worth of daily standing charge.

It seems rather than helping nPower have just closed my account as they know I only want this sorting, so that I can leave (perhaps a little cynical, but that's the impression I get).

Now I've tried to register with Bulb again hoping they'd be able to help since I no longer have a current provider and was asked for my MPAN and MPRN. I had my MPAN from a previous email, but no MPRN and nPower have deleted all previous bills, so I can no longer see them to find this. I don't really know what an MPAN is, but I'm not really convinced that the one I've got is correct for my house anyway.

I'm concerned that I could get my power cut off if this isn't resolved quickly as I don't currently have a Provider - is this a possibility?

My hope is that Bulb will be able to resolve this, but if anyone has any suggestions of anything I could do then they'd be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Jonathan

jonmitch

Hi Again

I've had a bit more information from NPower about this...

You do not have an MPRN and MPAN this is what you need to request from another supplier. It is called a new connection which you need. Npower do not do new connections therefore you will need to pick a supplier of your choice call them and advise you are looking to have a new connection completed. They will then create you a MPAN and MPRN and then attach your meters to this on the national database.

This will not cause your supply to be cut off. You will always have a incoming supply to the property you just have no supplier to bill you are present.

spiro

I suggest you contact another 1 of the big 6 and ask for the New Connections team. I suggest them because they are more liekly to be set up to do this compared to some of the newer entrants who are primarily geared to switching customers not ccthem..
Explain the situation and request they get you set up so you are legal. Once it's all done you will be free to switch. It may take several weeks to get this done.

jonmitch

Bulb have just informed me that they don't do New Connections, so I will have to go to 1 of the big 6 and see if I can get connected with one of them.

Thanks

jonmitch

Hi,

I just wanted to give an update on this to see if there's any suggestions as I've gotten nowhere.

I spoke to a couple of the big 6 after NPower closed my account and after a lot of emails basically kept being told that they couldn't do anything whilst I didn't have an account with them AND I couldn't open an account with them whilst my house wasn't on the national energy database.

A while after this NPower sent me some letters about their 'right to enter the property' and sent debt collectors because I'd been living at the property and hadn't paid any bills (because they'd closed my account). I rang an had my account re-opened on 6th June and when I explained the problem the lady on the phone said it would be easily resolved.

This meant that I had now had a debit balance on my account dating back 8 months to when I first moved in which I agreed to pay in installments over 6 months - I wasn't happy about this as if the problem had been resolved to begin with it would never have happened, but I decided I'd just pay the balance off, let them get the database corrected and then switch provider.

Yesterday I had an email about getting smart meters installed and it turns out that showed the wrong address still, so clearly the problem hasn't been resolved. I haven't spoken to anyone at NPower yet as their customer service isn't open on a Sunday, so will have to call next week, but am hoping for some advice...

- Firstly, any general advice on what I can say to whoever I speak to that will mean something actually gets done?

- Secondly, any other options I may have? I'm planning on emailing Northern Powergrid directly to see if they can help.

- Thirdly, I'm currently being forced to stay with NPower and have been now for 10 months due to (in my opinion) their own incompetence/inaction. If I'd been able to change provider when I first moved into this house I would've saved money, but I haven't been able to, so I feel like I should be entitled to some kind of discount. Is this reasonable and do I have any chance of getting it? And if so, does anyone have any advice on how to approach asking for this?

I think that's it for now.

Thanks in advance.

D_M_E

Write - pen, paper, ink - a letter headed COMPLAINT in big bold letters.

In, it, detail your saga and ask that they register the meters at your property to the correct address, i.e. yours.

Also include the fact that you are paying off over 6 months agreed "arrears" and specifically ask what meter and address those arrears relate to - might even be best to make this the first point of your complaint, you don't want to be paying "arrears" for someone else's address around the corner somewhere.

Also stop paying "arrears" and instead put the money aside in a separate account ready to be handed over when it's all been sorted.

If, after 8 weeks, nothing has been done then escalate to the Ombudsman.

Send the letter to their postal address on their website and also send it by email as well as a backup.

If they do have the cheek to go to court, turn up and detail your saga there as well and make them squirm before the judge and strongly oppose their application for forced entry and fitment of prepays - they could even turn up at the wrong address to do that, what idiots would they look then?

jonmitch

Thanks for the advice.

I’ve emailed Northern Powergrid today to see if I can get some information from them then my next step was going to be calling again, but I think your suggestion of a letter and then contacting Ombudsman may be better.

Smodlet

The advice to complain in writing is very good and I would not disagree with it. I would just like to mention that I have always managed to resolve complaints against nPower by phone but only after escalating to the next level above the customer service reps who answer and, sometimes, to the level above that. I was prepared to go as high as I had to; it's a free phone number. :cool:

If you decide to use the phone method, always make a note of complaint reference numbers. I used to keep a diary with those, the outline of the complaint, dates I contacted nPower and the amount of compensation received. By the time I switched away last month, it was a very long document.

To sum up, yes, I think you have an excellent case and should receive compensation. In your shoes, I would work out what you would have paid, had you been able to switch to Bulb when you wanted to and deduct that from whatever nPower are charging you: That's your starting point. I would then ask for £50 on top of that for all the stress, time and inconvenience they have put you to, with a view to settling for £30 if I really had to.

Good luck, HTH and please let us know how you get on.

jonmitch

I've eventually got to a point where I completing my switch over to Bulb in the next couple of weeks a little over a year since first trying.

Northern Powergrid investigated the issue and it turned out when my house was built 15 years ago it was never actually updated to be connected in the national energy database. I had been getting billed against an MPAN for a different address around the corner from mine.

Northern Powergrid created a new MPAN number for me after a couple of weeks and then I told nPower what the new number was. After that I've spent a few months going round in circles with nPower (escalating, re-explaining, getting nowhere etc.) until eventually they have done whatever they needed to do to get my house showing up in the national energy database.

Unfortunately I didn't have a record of price differences throughout the year, so I just asked for the difference in the current prices which was worked out to be about £100 for the year for gas and electric.

I did ask for some extra money for all the stress and mistakes made along the way, but by this stage I was happy enough to just take the £100 and get my account moved without having to keep arguing and escalating further.

Anyway, thanks for all the advice

D_M_E

Did you also get refunds for the "arrears" you were paying for somebody else's meters, and also any payments made for energy used by the property which you appeared to be paying?

jonmitch

The bills I had been paying were based on my own meter readings, so I think they were right even if they were technically against another address.

I think they just updated the history of bills to be against the right address - not sure if I technically could have claimed more money if I'd kept arguing, but in the end I was just happy to finally be able to move and get £100 back.

Thanks for the advice anyway.